Wire bound folding crate



July 16, 1957 J. F. \DEDMON 2,799,420

WIRE BOUND FOLDING CRATE 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 16, 1955 ".F mwzzvrom JAB/g8 F. DEDMON July 16, 1957 ON 2,799,420

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- ATT'YS July 16,1957

J. F. DEDMON WIRE BOUND FOLDING CRATE 4 Sheets- Sheet 3 v Filed June 16, 1955 FIG.6

I INVENTOR: JAMES F. DEDMON BY WWMr-M grr'vs July 16, 1957 J. F. DEDMON 2,799,420

WIRE BOUND FOLDING CRATE Filed June 16, 1955 '4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. JeMES F. DEDMON B Y comprising ing wires, whereby the United States Patent 2,799,420 WIRE BOUND FOLDING CRATE James F. Dedmon, Milan, Tenn. Application June 16, 1955, Serial No. 515,979 3 Claims. (Cl. 217-48) improvements in wire bound knocked This invention relates to crates which are adapted to be folded or down in shipment.

This application is a continuation-in-part of applicants copending application, Serial No. 387,960, filed October 23, 1953, and now abandoned, for Wire Bound Folding Crate.

The invention comprises in general a foldable crate a mat formed by securing continuous wires about panels, said panels being hingedly connected together by the binding wires. The binding wires are positioned in one embodiment on the outer faces of the corner slats and the braces and beneath the inside faces of outside cleats so that the crate will remain rigid and strong even tho-ugh a binding wire be broken. The binding wire may be positioned on the inner faces of the innerbraces but arranged between the outer faces of the corner slats and the inner faces of the cleats at each corner so as to effect greater durability and rigidness when the crate is in its expanded position. The arrangement is such, too, that spacing between the end slats of adjacent panels will be such as to cause the mat, when secured together to form a tube, to be absolutely fiat when in itsnon-expanded condition and thereby make a small flatpackage for shipping purposes.

The mat is so constructed and arranged that the various panels constituting the mat will have the end slats of each panel spaced a predetermined distance apart. Usually the separate panels are spaced apart a distance equal to the thickness of an end slat, but at the points where the panel is to be bent, which is termed the folded corner, and at a diagonal point where the two free ends are to be attached together, the distance apart of the adjacent slats of adjacent panels must be twice the thickness of the adjacent slats at those corners.

The primary object of the present invention is to providea wire bound folding crate having new and improved means for effecting easy collapsibility of the crate in absolute flat form for shipping purposes, and at the same time lock the continuous binding wires so that all the structural characteristics of the crate will remain in eifect even though the binding wires may be broken.

Another important object of the invention resides in the provision of arranging the outer edges of the corner slats of each panel a proper distance apart, whereby the open end of the mat where locked together by the protruding attaching ends of the binding wire and the diagonal folding corner of themat will be spaced a distance equal to the thicknesses of two slats, while the spacing between the outer edges of adjacent slats of the other panels will be a distance apart equal to the thickness of one slat.

Another important object of the invention consists in the formation of a. mat comprising a plurality of hingedly connected panels by means of continuous bindlength of the binding wires. between-contiguous outside cornersofthe erected cratewill be substantially equal to a slat thickness, while the oppositecorners, that is, the so-called folding corner and the open corner, will be twice the thickness of a slat.

A further object consists in arranging the continuous binding wires about the crate, the continuous wires being applied inside of the central bracing slats and between the outside surfaces of the corner slats and the inside surfaces of the outside cleats at each end of each panel of the mat.

Still another object resides in the provision of a folding crate which embodies a new and novel assemblage of parts, which permits for easy and absolutely flat folding, which is strong and durable in construction, and which may be economically made continuously by machine.

Numerous other objects and advantages will be apparent throughout the progress of the specification which follows.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a selected embodiment of the invention and theviews therein areas follows:

Fig. 1 is a detail perspective view of the folding crate showing the same in its normal expanded position and forming a tube;

Fig. 2 is a detail transverse sectional view on the line 2--2v of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail exploded perspective view of the crate showing the enclosing panels in partly folded condition;

Fig. 4 is a detail fragmentary elevational view looking inthedirection of the arrows 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view showing a pair of connecting panels and the manner in which the binding wires arepreferably arranged in place;

Fig. 6 is a detail outer end elevational view showing the manner in which a four panel mat is folded in absolute flat condition for shipping purposes, to effect a tube when the crate is expanded;

Fig. 7 is a detail inside plan section showing a folding mat with certain of the panels arranged apart a distance equal, to the thickness of a corner slat and other panels spaced a distance equal to twice the thickness of a corner slat; and

Fig. 8 is a detail end elevational view of the mat shown in Fig. 7.

The particular construction herein. shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention comprises a crate formed from a mat containing four panels 1 to 4, which are hingedly connected by spaced binding wires. The four panels 1, 2, 3 and 4, Figs. 1 to 4, are formed continuously by crate-making machinery, and the panels are spaced a predetermined distance apart as shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8.

Binding wires hingedly connect the adjacent panels together, there being extending ends of the binding wires extending beyond the outer edges of the corner slats of outer end panels for connection together to form a 'continuous binding about the crate. The attaching end wires when secured together form a tube and permit the crate to be folded absolutely flat, as shown in Fig. 6.

The panel. 1 is shown as being identical in shape, size and construction with its oppositely disposed panel 3, while the panel 2 is shown as being identical in size, shape and construction with its oppositely disposed panel 4.

Each of the panels 1 to 4, inclusive, comprises spaced upper and lower outside cleats 5 and 6 and a central or intermediate outside cleat 7 ifneeded or necessary. End or corner vertical slats 8 and 9 and intermediate bracing slats or braces 10, if required, are secured to the outside cleats 5' to 7. The inside positioned slats 8, 9'and 10 have their outer surfaces'facing the inside surfaces of the outer cleats 5, 6 and 7 and contact therewith.

Upper and lower binding wires 11 and 13, and intermediate binding wires 12, when required, hingedly conmeet the four'panels 1 to 4 together. Thefree ends of each of the binding wires 11 to 13 extend a predetermined distance beyond the ends of the outer or end panels 1 and 4, and these free ends are connected together as indicated at 14, whereby all four panels are hingedly connected together, Figs. 1 and 2, and form a tube.

It is desirable that the crate be folded absolutely fiat so as to conserve space in shipping and storing. It is further desired that no undue tension or strain be placed on the binding wires during the normal folding of the connected panels 1 to 4 into a tubular crate formation. Therefore, in order to make a crate which will lie absolutely flat when folded, the spacing of the panels should be such that the corner fold A, between panels 2 and 3,

Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6 to 8, and the corner B, Figs. 1 to 3,

when the panels 1 and 4 are connected, have the adjacent corner slats spaced a distance apart equal to twice the thickness of a corner slat; that is, the space between adjacent panels 2 and 3, Fig. 7, and between panels 1 and 4, when the crate is expanded, Figs. 1 and 2, be equal to the combined thickness of the two adjacent corner slats at the corners A and B, Figs. 1 to 3. The other folding corners, between panels 1 and 2 and between panels 3 and 4, as indicated at C and D, respectively, have the outer edges of the adjacent corner slats spaced apart a distance equal to the thickness of one slat. Therefore, in the arrangement of the panels 1 to 4 in the mat formation shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the adjacent edges of certain corner slats are spaced a distance equal to the combined thickness ofthe adjacent slats, as indicated at A, Figs. 1 to 3 and 6, while the remaining adjacent edges of the panels (panels 1 and 2 and panels 3 and 4) are spaced apart a distance equal to a single thickness of a corner slat, as indicated at C and D, Figs. 1 to 3 and 6 to 8. The open fastened corner B of the crate, is formed by connecting the free ends of the binding wires together. This corner B is of the same panel spacing as the thickness of an end slat 9 of panel 4 (to the right, Fig. 7), plus the thickness of the end slat 8 of panel 1 (to the left, Fig. 7), whereby the so-called open corner B will be the same as the folded corner A.

In a four panel crate as herein shown, the mat is folded along the folded corner or corner fold A, Fig. 6, whereupon the corner slats contact each other as shown in Fig. 6. At the free ends of the mat, where the binding wires are to be attached to form the completed crate, the slats of superposed panels will also be in contacting relationship. Therefore, the length of the binding wires extending from one panel to the other panel (panels 2 and 3 and panels 1 and 4) is twice the distance of the length of the binding wire between panels 1 and 2 and panels 3 and 4 indicated by C and D. The mat, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, first is folded, as shown in Fig. 6, and then the free ends of the binding wires are attached together, as indicated at 14, Fig. 6, whereby the crate tube is formed, and the folded crate is lying completely and absolutely fiat. When the folded crate, as shown in Fig. 6, is expanded to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the binding wires will be sufficiently taut, but there will not be such a strain or tension on the wires as to cause them to cut into the corner edges of the slats. The arrangement is such, therefore, that the crate, when expanded, will be in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2', but for shipping and storage purposes the crate will be in its fiat formation, as shown in Fig. 6.

Should a binding wire 11, 12 or 13 break, particularly when the crate contains a heavy object such as a refrigerator or a stove, it is necessary and desirable that the crate still be maintained in shape, and that the panels be held securely together even though more than one wire breaks. It is unusual that all of the surrounding binding wires will break at the same joint, corner or point. Therefore, the invention of the present crate is such that it will be maintained in proper rigid condition even though all the binding wires should break, providing, of course,

that the breakage does not occur at the same corner. It is necessary, therefore, that the binding wire be so attached to the cleats and to the slats that there will be no slippage of the wire. To accomplish this desideratum, each binding wire 11, 12 or 13 is arranged between the inside faces of the cleats and the outside faces of the slats and on the inside faces of the braces. Staples 15 pass through the slats 8, 9 and 10, straddle the wires 11, 12 and 13, and fasten into the cleats 5, 6 and 7. The staples may have the outer ends of their legs passing entirely through the outside surfaces of the outside cleats and then clinched over. During the operation of securing the slats to the cleats, with the binding wires therebetween, a considerable pressure is exerted against the slats and cleats whereby the binding wires are tightly impinged between the slats and the cleats.

Binding wires, of course, have been used to strengthen boxes before, but ordinarily the binding wires are wound around the outside of the crate, particularly over the cleats, and stapled thereto. However, the wires are likely to present sharp edges, particularly during shipping, or where a binding wire might break. Attempts have also been made to arrange the binding wires so that they will not extend outwardly of the crates, and in some instances grooves have been formed in the cleats, into which grooves the binding wire was placed. Such an arrangement has certain inherent disadvantages and makes the crate more costly; and should a binding wire break, all the panels will become loose.

The present invention overcomes all the heretofore inherent disadvantages in that the binding wire is locked in place by the impingement of the wires between the slats and the cleats, and should a wire break, there will be no bad effect on the strength of the crate. Furthermore, the binding wires are not exposed exteriorly of the crate, and, therefore, should a wire break, there would be no sharp ends to injure the hand of those handling the crate. The particular positioning of a complete encircling binding wire arranged between the cleats and the corner slats makes the crate stronger, easier to handle, cheaper to make, more rigid in construction, and prevents shifting of the panels should a wire break.

In order to obtain a good tight corner construction, and in order to render the crate more stable and rigid when it is expanded, the outer side edges of each adjacent corner slat 8 and 9 is arranged to have corner edge contact with each other, and by the previously described spacing of the panels, the crate is still strong and rigid but still permits absolute flat folding. The panel spacing is such that, in cases where the corner slats of panels 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 are one-fourth inch thick, the edges of adjacent corner slats will be spaced one-fourth inch apart, as at C and D, whereby the corners at those points will have their extreme inner side edges in corner abutting relationship, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The corner fold A, and the fastened corner B, will be onehalf inch apart in mat form to allow for a 180 fold of the panels 1 and 2 and the panels 3 and 4. The other corners C and D need be only one-fourth inch because only a bend is required at these latter points. Side sway or racking is therefore overcome by the engagement of the contacting corner edges of the corner slats of adjacent panels.

In Figs. 1 and 3 the panels 1 and 3 are shown as being less in height than their adjacent panels 2 and 4. Therefore, the upper edges of the panels 1 and 3 extend below the upper edges of the panels 2 and 4 while the lower edges of the panels 1 and 3 extend above the bottom edges of the adjacent panels 2 and 4 to receive a crate bottom 16 and a crate top 17. The bottom 16 and the top 17 each have spacedcleats and connecting slats 18 and 19, respectively. These members are so positioned that the cleats 18 extend a predetermined distance beyond the slats 19, the ends of the cleats extending outwardly a predetermined distance to equalthe outer dimension .of

the crate sothat the ends of the cleats will be-flush with the outside of the cleats of the panels and the outer edges of the outer cleats will be received against the inside edges of the slats. The bottom 17 provides the same arrangement so that when the top and bottom are arranged in. place, they may be stapled, nailed or otherwise secured to the enclosing panels. The formation of the top and bottom, their construction and arrangement, however, may be'of any type which will make a secure rigid crate when assembled together.

Fig. 5 discloses a preferred embodiment of the invention in the application and arrangement of the binding wires to the panels. Fig. 5 discloses two panels 1 and 2 which are similar to the panels 1 and 2 in Figs. 1 to 4. Each panel comprises upper and lower cleats 5' and 6 and an intermediate cleat 7. The corner slats 8 and 9 are arranged inwardly of the cleats in the manner previouslyv described, but the cross. bracing slats. 10 are positioned in a different manner than shown in Figs. 1 to 4. In Figs. 6 to 8, the braces 10 are shown as being single vertical slats. A salient feature of the invention consists in the application of the binding wires 11 and 13 or 12. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4 and 6 to 8, the binding wires are arranged against the outer faces of the corner slats 8, 9 and the intermediate slat 10 but applied against the inner faces of the cleats 5, 6 and 7. Each binding wire 11, 13 or 12 is arranged on the outside faces of the corner slats 8 and 9 and engages the inside faces of the cleats where the cleats are fastened to the corner slats 8 and 9. Therefore, each binding wire is impinged between the cleats and the corner slats at each end of each panel, but these binding wires are arranged outwardly of the bracing slats 10 on the inside faces thereof and secured by the staples 15. The binding wire for each panel, therefore, is located on the inside surface of the cleats and on the inside faces of the bracing slats 10, but is located between the outside cleat and the inner positioned corner slats. The complete binding wire for the crate therefore consists in providing a complete encircling binding wire which is arranged on the inside and on the inner faces of the cleats and across the bracing 10, but is under the corner slats 8 and 9 of each panel. In actual practice it is found that the arrangement of a complete encircling wire about the crate with the wires impinged between the cleats and the corner slats and between the cleats and the bracing slats 10 provides for a very durable crate which is extremely rigid when the crate is expanded to its normal position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. By securing the binding wires on the inner faces of all the members, except at the corner slats, the crate is still more rigid. In any event, the impingement of the binding wires between some or all of the slats and the outside cleats prevents slippage 0f the wire so that the effective rigidity of the crate will not be impaired should a binding wire break. This condition prevails Whether or not the binding wire is located on the inner face of the cleats and on the outer faces of the slats, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, or whether the impingement of the wire between the slats and the cleats occurs only at the corner slats. The arrangement may thus be considered an in-and-out lacing of the binding wires with respect to the slats 8 and 9 and the bracing 10.

The invention provides an exceedingly simple folding crate which is easily collapsed and foldable absolutely flat for shipping purposes. The crate is easily expanded for use to be slipped over the article or material to be crated in tube form. The binding wires, in each instance, are not located on the outside of the crate, and, therefore, should a binding wire break, there is no danger of any sharp ends protruding to cut or otherwise hurt the hands of the person handling the crate. Also, should a binding wire break, it will not affect to any extent the rigidity of the crate because the wire is prevented from moving or shifting because of the impingement of the wire 'between'the cleats and the slatsr The'only casein which breaking of the-binding-wires would have any damaging effect would be in cases where all thebinding wires would break at the same place, that is, atthe. same corner joint between adjacent panels. practice no such condition has ever occurred.-- 7

The ends of the panels, where the protruding wires are twisted to provide the lock joint 14, may be hammered back into the recess at thecorner B so that even these parts of the bindingwires are positioned so that they will not come in contact with the hands of those handling the crate.

T he crate herein di'sclosedis principally a tube, in that all the parts are secured together. This is madvantage because the crate manufacturer secures the free end together. Thus, the" manufacturer is responsible for the formation of the. secured parts and he can oversee all the steps. and. attachments. Thetube has many advantages over. the so-called wrap-around crate, but the present crate can also be used successfully as a Wrap-around. In the wrap-around crate, however, the manufacturer is not responsible for crating failures and the application is by the article crater and not by the manufacturer.

The crate of the invention, whether it be a tube or of the wrap-around type, provides an extremely strong, durable and rigid construction, it is exceedingly economical to manufacture by a continuous mat forming operation, and it permits absolute fiat folding for shipping and storage purposes.

While the invention is described as being a four panel crate, it may, of course, be made of a different number of panels just so that diagonal corners where folds are to be made are twice the distance apart of the other folds. In other words, each 180 bend of a panel must have spacing more than bends less than 180.

The invention provides the only known folding tube which is capable of being folded fiat and which may be made in continuous operation by machine. The structure herein disclosed does not require the cleats to be mitered in the corner and does not require as much binding wire as in conventional crates, particularly of the wrap-around type of crate. In actual practice it has been found that fourteen inches per single binding wire is saved by employing the present invention instead of what was previously possible.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as fall fairly within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A folding crate comprising a mat made up of a plurality of spaced panels, each panel comprising spaced horizontal cleates and an interior vertical corner slat at each end of each panel, and binding wires connecting said panels together, said binding wires being arranged between the outer faces of the corner slats and the inner faces of the cleats, said wires having free ends extending beyond the outer ends of the outer panels of each mat and fastened together to form a crate having a closure corner, a pair of adjacent panels comprising a folding corner diagonally disposed with respect to the closure corner, the space between the exterior surfaces of the adjacent vertical slats at the folding corner being equal to the thickness of two of said vertical slats, the spacing of the crate at the closure corner also being equal to the thickness of two adjacent vertical slats, the spaces between the-adjacent edges of the panels at the other two corners being equal to the thickness of only one vertical slat.

2. A folding crate made of a mat comprising a plurality of spaced panels, each panel comprising spaced horizontal outside cleats, an interior vertical inside corner slat at each end of each panel, interior intermediate bracing slats between the corner slats of each panel, a continuous encircling blnding wire arranged about the crate and However, in actual outside cleats,

located between the outer faces of the corner slats and the inner surfaces of .each outside cleat and across the inner-surfaces of the bracing slats, and staples passing into-the cleats'and corner slats and impinging the binding Wiresbetween said cleats and said corner slats of each panel, and staples straddling the binding wires on the inner faces of the intermediate bracing slats and passingthrough the bracing slats, said crate comprising a fastening corner formed by connecting the free ends of the binding wires which project from opposite ends of the mat, a folding corner between a pair of panels diagonally disposed from the fastening corner, said panels at the fastening corner and the folding corner being spaced at distance apart equal to the thickness of both the adjacent corner slats, and the remaining spaces between adjacent panels being at least equal to the thickness of only one slat.

3. A folding crate made of a mat comprising a plurality of spaced panels, each panel comprising spaced horizontal an interior vertical inside corner slat at References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,110,150 Hile Mar. 8, 1938 2,609,957 Sester Sept. 9, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 417,358 Great Britain Oct. 3, 1934 

